What causes eye disorders in children?
A disease that is in the parents can occur in the child. Sometimes, while the parents and even the grandparents are healthy, a similar disease in a cousin or a distant relative can be seen in the child. All this can be explained by genetic reasons.
The features in the chromosomes, in which all our genetic information is carried, are transferred to the next generations. Ophthalmology Specialist Op. Dr. Şeyda Atabay gave information about the subject.
The presence of high myopia in the family causes the development and progression of myopia in children at an early age. For this reason, we can make suggestions to delay the development of myopia for the children of people with myopia in the family.
If there is astigmatism in the family, the probability of having it in the child is quite high. There is nothing we can do to reduce astigmatism in this regard. It is not possible to change it like eye color if it is genetically encoded.
If there is a family history of hyperopia and lazy eye, it is one of the most important problems in childhood. The presence of relatives who received treatment for amblyopia causes us to approach the child more suspiciously and to increase the frequency of follow-up. With a good family history, early diagnosis and treatment can prevent squint and lazy eye.
However, for a child to have a disease, there is no condition that someone in the family has the disease. Although there is no disease in the family and relatives, many diseases can be seen in the child. For this reason, even if there is no problem in the family, children should definitely have an eye examination.
Children are not aware of what they see and cannot express it. A child who cannot see well is open to harm from the environment. Since he cannot see well, he encounters blows and falls more often. While some mothers complain that their children are very clumsy and constantly falling, they are not aware that the problem is due to low vision.
Sometimes, different treatments are applied with the thought that the child has a lack of attention. In fact, it should come to mind that the cause may be a visual impairment. It is especially important that families and institutions dealing with such children pay attention to this issue. Children who are bored easily and who are thought to have a lack of attention should definitely be checked by an eye diseases doctor. We come across children who started school late with the diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, who were given special treatments unnecessarily, and who were recently diagnosed with visual impairment. Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric eye diseases is very important.
